Oliver Gettell

Leonard Nimoy, who played the iconic “Star Trek” character Mr. Spock, died Friday in Bel-Air. The 83-year-old actor had end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a condition he blamed on a smoking habit he had given up 30 years ago. Nimoy will forever be inseparable from Mr. Spock, his ultra-logical half-Vulcan alter ego. But over his long and productive career, Nimoy accomplished much more both in front of and behind the camera. Here’s a look at some highlights, with accompanying photos in the gallery above. Nimoy began his acting career in the 1950s, landing his first title role in 1952’s “Kid Monk Baroni,” about a street thug turned professional boxer. The movie flopped at the box office, and Nimoy spent years in relative obscurity, with parts in films such as “Them!” (1954), “The Brain Eaters” (1958) and “The Balcony” (1963). He also appeared […]

Call it an enterprising move: Simon Pegg, the actor who plays Scotty in Paramount Pictures’ revamped “Star Trek” film franchise, will also co-write “Star Trek 3” with Doug Jung, a source has confirmed to Hero Complex. Deadline Hollywood first reported that Pegg would be working on both sides of the camera, with Jung joining him in scripting the sequel to 2013’s “Star Trek Into Darkness.” The news comes a week after “The Fast and the Furious” veteran Justin Lin beamed aboard to direct “Star Trek 3,” filling a void left by onetime helmer Roberto Orci. (A co-writer on the previous two “Star Trek” movies, Orci had been working on a script for the third installment with J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay and was originally to make his directing debut on the film.) As genre fans well know, Pegg is not […]

Contrary to the initial reports that he had suffered a broken ankle on the set of “Star Wars: Episode VII” last week, Harrison Ford actually broke his leg in the accident. “Harrison Ford’s left leg was broken in an accident. His surgery was successful and he will begin rehab shortly. He’s doing well and looks forward to returning to work,” Ford’s publicist said in a statement. PHOTOS: Injuries on the set There is no word yet on whether this will affect the initial timetable of the eight weeks Ford was expected to miss from shooting while he recovers. Reprising his role as the dashing antihero Han Solo in J.J. Abrams’ upcoming film, Ford was injured in a mishap with the door of the Millennium Falcon, Solo’s iconic spaceship, last week and taken to a local hospital. Filming is to continue […]

Marvel Studios previewed the first 10 minutes of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” at a fan screening of the new one-shot “All Hail the King” in Hollywood on Monday night, providing an early glimpse of the sequel’s mix of action-packed superheroics and 1970s-style political intrigue. The preview was introduced by Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Feige during a post-show Q&A with “All Hail the King” writer-director Drew Pearce and star Ben Kingsley. (If you’d rather be surprised by the opening when “Winter Soldier” opens April 4, you might want to stop reading now — spoilers are below.) The “Winter Soldier” clip began with a humorous, possibly fateful meeting between Steve Rogers, a.k.a. super-soldier Captain America (Chris Evans) and fellow military man Sam Wilson, a.k.a. the Falcon (a bulked-up Anthony Mackie), with the former repeatedly lapping the latter on a jog around […]

“Times change, and so must I.” Thus spoke the 11th Doctor, as played by Matt Smith, moments before the time-traveling extraterrestrial shed his appearance and regenerated in a new form — this time played by Peter Capaldi. (Fans who missed the Christmas episode, beware — there are spoilers ahead.) The passing of the Doctor mantle came during the final moments of “The Time of the Doctor,” the show’s ninth Christmas special since its 2005 revival and the 800th episode in its 50-year history. Smith’s 11th Doctor spent most of the episode protecting the town of Christmas on the planet Trenzalore, and aging significantly in the process. After delivering his swan song aboard the Tardis, the 11th Doctor quickly morphed into the 12th. Viewers didn’t have much time to see Capaldi in action, as his arrival was brief and hectic: Upon regenerating, […]

Music from punk pioneer Patti Smith, pop singer Christina Aguilera and New Zealand songstress Lorde will feature on the soundtrack to “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” the anticipated sequel starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, a young warrior who once again takes up her bow and arrow to fight for her own life and her people in a dystopian future. Lionsgate and Republic Records today announced the full soundtrack lineup for the second movie in the series based on Suzanne Collins’ bestselling trilogy. Directed by Francis Lawrence, “Catching Fire” sees newly minted Oscar winner Lawrence return to the arena where the brutal games are staged — she’s summoned back to compete against previous victors in a special anniversary edition of the televised battle to the death. But this time, revolution is fomenting in the impoverished districts outside the Capitol that […]

Word that Ben Affleck will play Batman in the upcoming “Man of Steel” sequel disappointed Dark Knight fans, who took to Twitter and Facebook to voice their displeasure — and to poke some fun at the former “Daredevil” actor. Friday morning, #BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck was trending on Twitter, with users offering suggestions as to who would make a better Batman. A few examples: I would have even been ok with them giving it to Joseph Gordon-Levitt #betterbatmanthanbenaffleck pic.twitter.com/tLFmo1G8b7 — Kevin Neely (@kevnee96) August 23, 2013 #BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck Josh Brolin — MARIO (@Mik3hawk_) August 23, 2013 Matt Damon would do a better job #BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck — klassiqkal (@klassiqkal) August 23, 2013 #BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck Sorry guys, but Christian Bale will always be THE BATMAN pic.twitter.com/Arjayw6Mvj — Mitz Ü/ (@mitZ1507) August 23, 2013 #BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck 2 Chainz pic.twitter.com/utwZmkFHgm — Mikey (@fsmikey) August 23, 2013 #betterbatmanthanbenaffleck Meryl Streep pic.twitter.com/cLcyqxuBmZ — […]

Edgar Wright’s new apocalyptic comedy “The World’s End” will screen one day ahead of its nationwide release as it caps special showings of the “Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy” on Aug. 22. Along with “The World’s End,” the trilogy includes the 2004 zombie sendup “Shaun of the Dead” and the 2007 cop comedy “Hot Fuzz.” All three films star Simon Pegg, who also co-wrote the screenplays with director Wright, and Nick Frost. Prior to the trilogy, Wright, Pegg and Frost collaborated on the British TV series “Spaced.” The “Cornetto Trilogy” takes its name from the appearance of symbolic Cornetto ice cream treats in each of the three films. The gallery above shows two such moments. The three films will screen back-to-back-to-back at select theaters, beginning with “Shaun of the Dead” and proceeding in chronological order. For a list of participating theaters and ticket […]

The classic board games Monopoly and Risk are importing the imagery of Robert Kirkman’s hit comic book “The Walking Dead” for new “survival editions.” The post-apocalyptic Monopoly update replaces posh properties like Boardwalk and Park Place with “Walking Dead” landmarks like the Alexandria Safe-Zone and the Hilltop Colony. Instead of using money to buy property, players deal in supplies such as food and ammo, and houses and hotels have been swapped for guard towers and walls to keep out invading zombies. The game also includes six themed tokens, including Rick’s sheriff hat and Michonne’s katana. The “Walking Dead” version of Risk, a game usually portraying world domination, scales down the arena with a map set in the Southeastern U.S. featuring 32 territories and six zones. Gameplay is based on the Risk: 2210 A.D. variant and includes scoring, a time limit and […]

Chuck Palahniuk is penning a follow-up to his hit novel “Fight Club,” which was famously adapted into the 1999 David Fincher film of the same name, the author revealed at Comic-Con over the weekend. The sequel will take the form of a serialized graphic novel. Palahniuk confirmed the project on his official fan site, writing, “It will likely be a series of books that update the story ten years after the seeming end of Tyler Durden. Nowadays, Tyler is telling the story, lurking inside Jack, and ready to launch a come-back. Jack is oblivious. Marla is bored. Their marriage has run aground on the rocky coastline of middle-aged suburban boredom. It’s only when their little boy disappears, kidnapped by Tyler, that Jack is dragged back into the world of Mayhem.” FULL COVERAGE: San Diego Comic-Con 2013 Palahniuk’s breakout book, “Fight Club” […]